Geats (Gay'-ats)

1. Swerting – uncle, or grandfather, of Hygelac.

2. Hrethel – father of Hygelac and grandfather of Beowulf.

3. Hygelac – king of the Geats at the time Beowulf killed Grendel; Beowulf's uncle.

4. Hygd – wife of Hygelac; daughter of Haereth (Har'-eth).(l. 1926)

5. Herebeald (Her'-ra-bay-old) – eldest son of Hrethel; inadvertently killed by his brother

Haethcyn

6. Haethcyn (Hath'-kin) – killed Herebeald; he was later killed by the Swedish king,

Ongentheow, at Ravenswood (l. 2922 ff).

7. Ecgtheow (Edge'-thay-o) – father of Beowulf and married to Hrethel's only daughter;

he had earlier killed Heatholaf (Hay'-a-tha-laf) of the Wylfings and fled to the Danish court of Hrothgar for protection (l. 459 ff).

8. Heardred (Hay'-ard-red) – son of Hygelac and after him king of the Geats; he was

killed by the Swedish king Onela and was succeeded by Beowulf (l. 2200 ff).

9. Eofor (Ay'-o-vor) – son of Wonred; he was given Hygelac's dauther after killing the

Swedish king, Ongentheow. His brother, Wulf, had led the attack on Ogentheow (l. 2963 ff).

DANES OR SCYLDINGS (Shildings)

1. Scyld (Shild) – eponymous founder of the Danish royal line.

2. Healfdene (Hay'-alf-den-na) – father of Hrothgar.

3. Hrothgar – king of the Danes at the time of Beowulf's exploits; founder of Heorot

(Hay'-o-rot).

4. Wealhtheow (Way'-alh-thay-o) – wife of Hrothgar (l. 612 ff & l. 1167 ff).

5. Heorogar (Hay'-o-ro-gar) – brother of Hrothgar.

6. Halga – brother of Hrothgar and father of Hrothulf.

7. Heoroweard (Hay'-o-ro-way-ard) – son of Heorogar; he was killed at the fall of Heorot by a

follower of Hrothulf .

8. Hrothulf – son of Halga; after Hrothgar's death he killed Hrethric, Hrothgar's heir, and

seized the throne; he was then attacked and killed by Heoroweard.

9. Hrethric – son and heir of Hrothgar; he was killed by Hrothulf.

10. Hrothmund – son of Hrothgar.

11. Freawaru (Fray'-a-war-uh) – daughter of Hrothgar; she was married to Ingeld of the

Heathobards (Hay'-a-tho-bards) to end a feud between the two peoples. Froda was Ingeld's father (l. 2020 ff).

12. Heremod (Hay'-re-mod) – an ancient Danish king mentioned as an example of cruelty

and avarice (l. 900 ff & l. 1709-56).

13. Unferth – Hrothgar's spokesman who taunts Beowulf, his father is Ecglaf (Edge'-laf).

HALF-DANES (also Scyldings)

1. Hoc – king of the Half-Danes.

2. Hildeburh – daughter of Hoc and married to King Finn of the Frisians.

3. Hnaef (Hnaf) – son of Hoc; he was the leader of the Danes; killed at Finnsburg

4. Hengest – the leader of the Danes after Hnaef is killed at Finnsburg.

5. Hunlaf – killed at Finnsburg; his son, and the brothers of Hunlaf (Guthlaf and Oslaf)

demand vengence for Hunlaf's death

JUTES OR FRISIANS

Finn – king of the Frisians and married to Hildeburh of the Half-Danes; he is killed in the battle at

Finnsburg; he is the son of Folcwalda (Folk'-wal-da).

FRANKS OR HUGAS

Daeghrefn (Dag'-raven) – he is killed by Beowulf at the time of Hygelac's raid on the Franks

SWEDES OR SCYLFINGS (Shilfings)

1. Ongetheow (On'-gen-thay-o) – king of the Swedes; he was killed by the Geat, Eofor, at

the battle of Ravenswood (l. 2922 ff).

2. Ohthere (Oht'-herra) – son of Ongentheow; with his brother, Onela, he attacked the Geats; on a

counter raid, Haethcyn, the king of the Geats, was killed; Hygelac, Haethcyn's brother, then avenged his death by attacking Ongentheow (l. 2922 ff).

3. Onela – brother of Ohthere; he killed his brother and seized the Swedish throne (or took it after

his brother's death).

4. Eanmund (Ay'-an-mund) – son of Ohthere; he and his brother, Eadgils, fled to the Geats after

Anela seized the throne; Onela then attacked the Geats and killed Eanmund and the Geatish king, Heardred

5. Eadgils (Ay'-ad-gils) – brother of Eanmund; Beowulf supported him in a war against his

uncle, Onela, whom he killed.

6. Weohstan (Way'-oh-stan) – a Waegmunding (Wag'-mun-ding)— the family to which Beowulf

belonged— who had aided the Swedish king Onela in his attack on the Geats; he was given the sword of the dead Eanmund, which he then passed on to his own son, Wiglaf (l. 2602 ff).

OTHER NAMES

1. Breca – son of Beanstan (Bay'-an-stan) of the Brondings; he engaged in the famous swimming
match with Beowulf and was cast up on the coast of the Heathoraemas (Hay'-a- tho-ray-mas) (l. 506 ff).

2. Eormenric (Ay'-or-man-ric) – king of the East Goths.

3. Offa – king of the continental Angles or of Mercia in England; his son is Eomaer (Ay'-o- mare).

4. Modthryth – the queen who had men killed for looking on her; she later married Offa

and became a good queen (l. 1932 ff).

5. Aelfhere (Alf'-herra) – a kinsman of Wiglaf.

6. Aeschere (Ash'-herra) – Hrothgar's companion who is killed by Grendel's mother.

7. Hondscio (Hond'-she-o) – a Geat killed by Grendel.

8. Sigemund – great Germanic hero whose story is told in the Volsunga Saga.